Improvement in the manufacture of boot and shoe heels



S. W. BALDWIN. Manufacture of Boot and .Shoe Heels.

N0. l7,728 Patented Sept.14,181757.

UNTTED STATES 4ATENT CEEIGEo STEPHEN W. BALDWIN, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOT AND SHOE HEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 167,728, datedSeptember 14, 1875; application led August 8, 1871.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, STEPHEN W. BALDWIN, ofYonkers, in the county of Westchester and AState of New York, haveinvented certain Improvements in the Manufacture of Boot and Shoe Heels;and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with thedrawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is adescription of my invention sufcient to enable those skilled in the artto practice it.

My invention relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of heelsor heelblanks for boots and shoes, the improvements having particularreference to the manner of punching the holes in an assemblage ofheelforming lifts, and of driving into such holes the nails which are topermanently unite said lifts together, and ultimately to the boot orshoe.

My invention consists in a machine having a gang of nail-hole punches,and a heel or heellift holding and compressing mechanism, so constructedand arranged, with respect to the punches, that in the relative movementbetween the punches and the heel compressing and holding devices thepunches pass through the top plate of the holder, and through a seriesof holes in said plate corresponding tothe punches, into the heel heldbetween said top plate and a clamping and compressing plate. Theinvention further consists in combining, with the heel holding andcompressing mechanism, a gang of nail-drivers, which force the nailsthrough the nail-hole plate into the heel beneath, and clamp themagainst said plate. The invention further consists in combining, with aheel or heel-lift holding and compressing mechanism, a gang of nail-holepunches, and a gang of nail-drivers, so arranged that each may bebrought into position relatively to the heelholding mechanism and anailholder plate forming part of said mechanism that the nail-holes maybe rst made, and the nails next driven,witl1o ut removin g the heel orheel-blank from the heel-holding device. The invention further consistsin certain details of construction, arrangement, and operation of themechanism.

The drawing represents a machine embodying the invention.

Figure l shows the machine partly in sectional elevation and partly inside` elevation. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of it. Fig. 3 is asectional plan on the line or a'. Fig. 4 is a top view of thenaill1older block. Fig. 5 is a front view thereof.

a denotes the frame, having anoverhanging head, b, to the under side ofwhich is fastened the punch-block c, or driver-block d, or, pret'-erably, both blocks c and d, the two blocks being fastened to ayswiveling plate, c, on a semi-rotative shaft, el. Ths'plate beingturned in one direction brings the punch-block c to the front, and intoposition over the heel-holding mechanism, a suitable stop, f, and gageg, or other devices bringing the punches accurately into position; and,being turned in the other direction, similarly brings the drivers to thefront, and into position to enter the holes, or drive the nails into theholes, made by the punches. At the front part of the frame a arevertical ways or guides h, between which reciprocates a slide, t',vertical reciprocating motions being imparted tothe slide from a-crank,k, on the end of a driving-shaft, l, the crankpin carrying a slide, m,traversing in a horizontal slot, n, in the slide. At the top of thereciprocating slide i is the heel, or heel-lift, or heelblank holder m1,having a recess or pocket, nl, in which the assemblage of heel-lifts isplaced, and a top plate, o, this plate being perforated with a series ofnailholes, p, corresponding in number and position to the number andposition of the nails to be driveninto the heel. From the bottom of theheel-holder a tube, q, extends, this tube carrying a vertical plunger,fr, at the top of which, and within the pocket nl, is a clamp-plate orfollower, s. The foot of the plunger is jointed to the upper end of atoggle-arm, t, whose lower end is jointed to the upper arm ofatoggle-leveru, pivoted at fv, the outer arm w of the lever extendingout over a stationary pin, as seen at Fig. 2.

When the heel-holder slide is descending the toggle-arms are out ofr,vertical line, and the clamp-plate is at the bottom of the pocket nl.The heel-lifts are then introduced into the pocket between theclamp-plate s and the nailhole plate 0. As the slide is reachingitslowest position the arm w strikes the pin m, throwing the toggle-armsinto vertical line, and clampingthe heel or heellifts between theclamp-plate andjnail-hole plate, the toggle-arms by reason of theirvertical position, or their position in line, locking the clamp-plate inposition relatively to the nail-hole plate. As the slide next rises,(the punches 0 1 being in position,) the punch-points pass through thenailholeplate, and enter the heel or heel blank, punching the nail-holcstherein to the'depth required. As the shaft continues to rotate. theslide, with the punched and still clamped heelblank, descends, and, assoon as the nail-hole plate is below the punch-points, the plate e isswung around, bringing the driver-block d and drivers d1 into positionover the nail -hole plate, and the nailblock m2 (its nail-holes chargedwith nails, which rest upon the bottom slide n2) is then slid upon thenail -hole plate, said block having guide-lips y, that guide itlaterally uponthenail-hole plate, an d suitable stops z, that arrest itat the proper place, so that whenpositioned the nail-holes in the blockwill exactly match with the nail-holes in the nailholcplate below. Theslide u2 is then drawn out, releasing the nails, which will drop throughthe block into the nail-hole plate, their points resting upon theheel-blank clamped against the under surface of the plate. Thenail-block is then removed, and, as the drivers next descend, they willpass into the corresponding holes inthe nailhole plate, and, strikingupon the nails, will drive them into the heel.

In or`der`-that the nail-heads may be left projecting, and the nailpoints not protrude, (so that the heel will be ready to be fastened uponthe boot or shoe,its lifts being nailed together, but the nails left'tobe driven home,) the heelclamp is released before the drivers passentirely through the nailhole plate, and the drivers then push the nailsdown out of the nail-holes, and push the heel with them. For thispurpose devices are arranged as follows: a2 denotes `a lever or tripperbar pivoted at b2, and having its lower arm pressed outward by a spring,c2. The upper arm of this lever lies against or in the path of movementof an arm, d2, of a slide, e2, the inner end of which is acted upon byan eccentric, f2, on the shaft c1. `Vhen the shaft is turned to bringthe drivers into position, the eccentric pushes out the slide, which,operating on the tripper bar, throws in its lower end, bringing said endinto thepath of upward movement of theouter end of the toggle-lever. Asthe heel-holder slide is rising and the nails are being driven in, andalittle before the ascent is completed, the end of the toggle-leverstrikes the tripper-bar, throwing the toggle-levers out of line, and the-nail-hole plate then rising, and the clampi plate remaining stationary,the nails are driven fore the toggle arm strikes the tripper, and theheel is therefore ready (when thus pre-` pared) to be fastened to a bootor shoe. When the shaft e1 is turned to bring the punches into position,the slide e2 is freed from the eccentric, and the spring c2 throws thetripper out of the path of movement of the toggle-lever.

The nailed heel maybe ejected as follows: Back of the slide i, one ormore horizontal slides, g2, work through one or more holes, h2, suchslide or slides being pivoted to a lever, Q?, which may be`automatically worked from the `driving-shaft, or by ahand-lever, k2.Just as the heads of the nails of the nailed heelblank are released fromthe nailhole plate, the slides are thrown forward and drive the nailedheel-blank out, the slides being thrown back before the nail-hole platereaches them,l

In connection with the punches, a breastcutter, l2, may be employed,this cutter being fastened to the end of the punch-block plate, and (asthe clamped heel lifts are being punched) cutting ofi the projectingedges ex-` tending beyond the face ofthe nail-hole plate, as will bereadily understood. The heel-lifts are preferably tacked together beforebeing placed in the machine, and when the tacked blank is punched it maybe removed, to be nailed in a separate machine, but I prefer to applythe nails in the same machine that punches the holes. Severaln'ailblocks may be used with one machine, so that While one heelblankisbeing punched, and then nailed, nails may be applied to a second blockto be used in the machine in nailing the next heel-blank. Heels thuspunched, or punched and nailed, are ready to be used in any suitablemachine for nailing such heels to boots and shoes, and I prefer to usethe punched and nail fastened blank in connection with a heel trimmingmachine, in which the heel is both trimmed to a proper conf tour andfastened to the boot or shoe sole.

In the machine, as represented in the draw-1 ing, the punches or driversare stationary, and the heel-blank is moved against them, and although Ihave spoken of the punches and drivers acting, it will be understoodthat they act negatively, the result being the same whether theheel-blank be pressed up against them or they be pressed down into theheel-blank.

l claiml. `In a machine for compacting a set of lifts for a boot or shoeheel independently of the boot or shoe, a nail-hole plate, against whichthe heelblank is compacted and consolidated, and a gang of movablepunches operating through the nail-hole `plate to punch the nailholes inthe blank while under pressure, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for compacting a set of lifts for a boot or shoe heelindependently of the boot or shoe, a nail-hole plate, against which theheel-blank is compacted` and consolidated, and a gang of drivers fordriving the nails, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for colnpacting, punching,

and inserting nails in a boot or shoe heel, protruding from theheel-blank, substantially a'perforated plate, against which the heel isas described, for the purpose specified.

compacted and consolidated, and through 5. In combination with theheel-holding and which it is pricked and loaded, substantialljrnail-driving mechanism, the ejectors, substanas described. tiallyr asdescribed.

4. In combination with the nail-hole plate, STEPHEN W. BALDWIN. againstwhich the heel-blank is clamped, and Witnesses: with the clamp plate s,a gang of drivers, by LYMAN COBB, Jr.,

Whiehall the nails are driven and their heads left JOHN LANE.

